Tara trudged along the road, looking for the Pool House. She
spotted a building with flashing neon lights on the front and she knew she had
found the place. The large cluster of shiny black motorcycles confirmed that she
was in the right place. She was dressed in her casual blue Levis, with a short dark
blue top covered by a denim jacket. She walked quickly into the small building,
yanking open the large doors and stepping into the warmth. It was nearly summer,
but the damn wind was still chilly. She paused at the doorway, getting her
bearings and scoping out the dimly lit pool house. Pool tables with overhanging
lights lined the floor
and everywhere she looked, people were playing in twos or fours, smoking and
drinking as they played. She looked to her right and saw a counter, with a lanky
looking teenager standing behind it. She walked up to him quickly.

"Hey, excuse me. Do you know if Jordan Woods is here
tonight?" she asked innocently.

Immediately, the boy's eyes grew wide, and fear was apparent in
them. "Ye... yes Ma'am," he stuttered, then swallowed hard.

Tara grew concerned. "Erm, do you know where she is?"

The boy pointed up. He still looked like he was in shock and his
face had suddenly grown a shade paler. "She's um, upstairs, Ma'am. Shall I
call her down for you?" The discomfort in the boy's frightened eyes told
Tara that speaking to the dark woman was not on the boy's list of things he
really wanted to do.

"No, that's alright. I'll go up myself."

The turned away from the relieved young man and headed towards
the winding stairs at the back. She prayed to any God that was listening that
she was right about this Jordan Woods, because if she wasn't, she didn't want to
think about what might happen to her. From the look on the boy's face and the
warning from the bartender, Woods was a hard woman, probably part of a gang. She
suspected that if she were to mention the name Jordan Woods to anyone in this
establishment, they would all be terrified. Obviously, Woods had power.

She reached the top of the stairs and stood there, looking
around for the dark woman. This floor was slightly smaller, and there were fewer
pool tables but otherwise it looked just the same as the ground floor. She
looked over into a dark corner, where she saw a large group of men and women
standing around two pool tables. All the men and a few women had black leather
jackets with a red 'W' stitched on the back. The majority of women were dressed
casually and each seemed to be paired with one leather-clad member. They stood
around the two tables, drinking, smoking and laughing, watching as two couples
on each table played against each other in a doubles match. From where she was
standing in the shadows, she could hear snippets of voices but not enough to
make out what they were talking about. There was a round of raucous applause as
a couple won their match on one table, and the male of the pair, a tall,
well-muscled coloured man, got slaps on the
back from his comrades.

All attention turned to the other game, where Tara spotted the
dark woman playing. Her partner was a flaming red-headed woman, dressed in a
slinky strappy red dress. Tara edged closer to the huddle of people, blending
into the large crowd. She watched as the ice-blue eyed woman bent low to take a
shot, her firm butt cheeks pressing tightly against black denim jeans. She
potted the last red perfectly and she glanced up towards her opponent, a
flat-faced man, who scowled playfully at her. Woods stood up and passed her cue
over to the attractive redhead for her shot. All that was needed was for her to
pot the black and they would win. The woman looked up at Jordan, putting on her
best lovable expression with her hazel eyes.

"Wanna do it together?" she said, lustily, as a chorus
of whoops and catcalls came from the gang.

Tara saw a dark eyebrow lift in response, as Jordan uncrossed
her arms and came to stand behind the woman, leaning her whole body over the
smaller redhead. Tara could feel the envy rising in her blood, at the closeness
of the woman to Woods but she was unsure why she had that feeling. As Jordan
drew back the cue stick, ready to pot the final ball, a hand swooped down to
come between her legs, stroking the inside of her thigh. Jordan paused, looking
down at the woman, who had her eyes closed. Quiet laughter rippled through the
group.

"You know, I'm gonna miss the pocket if you keep that
up," she said, her voice becoming a growl. The hand stilled at the powerful
voice and Jordan took the shot quickly before the redhead could do anything else
to distract her. The black ball thumped home and the tall woman stood up
straight, as the woman under her twisted and grabbed her by the neck, pulling
her down suddenly into a fiery kiss. Jordan's hands flew to the edge of the
table to keep from overbalancing, then to the woman's hips. The coloured man,
who had won his match came up behind them, and tapped the tall woman on the
shoulder.

"Don't worry, I'll beat you for sure J," he laughed.

Jordan broke the kiss, turning her head to her friend.
"Over my dead body," she said seriously as a couple of members began
setting up the table for the final match.

Tara stared at the two women in each other's arms, as if an
arrow had hit her squarely in the heart and someone had shoved it right through.
Suddenly, Jordan turned her gaze on the small blonde and their eyes met.
Immediately, Jordan's arms dropped from the redhead's body and she began walking
towards the stunned Tara. Everyone stilled, as they turned to look at who the
dark woman had noticed.

"What are you doing here?" Jordan asked in a low
voice.

"I erm..." Suddenly, Tara knew why the boy downstairs
had been so frightened. The tall woman was a very intimidating sight, but
surrounded by a group, she was downright frightening. A dark eyebrow was raised
and Tara knew she had to explain herself. "I... came to give you
this." She reached inside her jacket pocket, and immediately, all hell
broke loose. Tara froze, mid draw, as all the people wearing leather jackets
drew knives and switch blades from their belts, ready to defend themselves.

Jordan quickly held up her hands, and they all relaxed a little.
"It's alright. She's no harm to us. Is it my lighter?" she asked,
holding out her hand.

The blonde nodded dumbly, taking out the silver object and
placing into Jordan's upturned hand. Her fingers gently brushed against the
calloused skin, and a rush went through her body, momentarily subduing her
fears. She looked into the guarded eyes. "Why did you lie to me?" Tara
almost regretted the words as she realised it sounded like an accusation.

Jordan's fingers snapped shut around her property, causing Tara
to flinch slightly. The dark woman seemed to study the smaller woman with her
eyes, finally coming to a quick decision. She turned around to the others.
"Leo, we'll have to finish this another night. I have to sort a few things
out, okay. Have fun without me," she commented as she grabbed her helmet
and took Tara's arm, steering her towards the stairs. For a moment, Tara thought
she was in serious trouble, but then Jordan whispered in her ear. "Let's go
somewhere, where we can talk without everyone staring, alright?" The breath
tickled Tara's ear, and a shiver went down her spine. She turned her head in
time, to see the jealousy raging in the redhead's eyes, as they watched the two
women walking away. A small part of her screamed in victory.

Tara followed Jordan hurriedly as she took the steps swiftly
down, passing the boy at the desk without looking at him. Tara glanced at the
boy's face, as he wondered where the rest of Woods' gang was. Outside, Jordan
stood over her motorbike in thought as Tara came to stand behind her.
"You'll have to wear my helmet, I guess." Jordan turned to her before
she could respond and shoved the black casing over her head, leaving the visor
up.

"What about you?" asked Tara in a muffled voice. She
felt a little silly in the over sized nutshell.

"I'll be fine, so long as we don't run into any trouble. Come
on," she said, lifting a leg over the bike seat. She put the key in the
ignition and started the bike with her foot. She reached up and tucked her hair
into her leather jacket to keep it flying everywhere, then turned to Tara, who
was still standing uncertainly. "What's wrong?"

"I've never ridden a motorbike before," Tara admitted.

A grin split Jordan's face wonderfully. "Trust me, Tara.
You're perfectly safe." Tara couldn't help but believe the beautiful woman
and she hopped on behind her. "Um, Tara. You're gonna have to move forwards a bit,"
Jordan called over her shoulder.

"Oh, sorry. Is this okay?"

"A bit more. The closer you are, the easier it is for me to
control the bike. Then put your arms around my waist and hold on tight." As
soon as she felt Tara do as she said, she sped off into the road, almost taking
Tara by surprise.

"Woah!" screamed Tara, as they did a sharp U-turn on
to the road.

"Sorry, you okay?" yelled Jordan.

"Yeah, fine."

"Alright. It'll only be five minutes or something."

"Okay, I'm in no hurry though," she heard herself say.

The roads were almost deserted at that time of night, so Jordan
could go as fast as she liked without having to slow down to weave in and out of
the traffic. Tara was feeling exhilarated. It was a totally new experience for
her, and she regretted that she had never done this before. She rested her chin
on Jordan's strong shoulder as she looked at where they were going. She was
enjoying the sensation of being pressed up against the taller woman and combined
with the throbbing power of the machine under her was putting the blonde woman
in a very aroused state. She had a strong urge to move her hands a few
centimetres lower, right to the centre of the dark woman's pleasure, but she
resisted the temptation. She knew that she risked scaring the woman off and
never learning whether her suspicions were right. Jordan turned a corner, and
Tara felt the abdominal muscles flex and relax as she moved as one with the
machine. In front of them was the dark entrance of a carpark.

"Are we going in there?" asked Tara, her fears
returning.

"Yep," replied Jordan, speeding up.

They shot up the ramps and onto the first floor, but Jordan
never slowed down. They continued climbing the floors, until they were at the
very top, and only then did Jordan slowly come to a halt at the edge of the
building. She turned off the engine and waited until Tara had gotten off, before
climbing off the bike herself and flicking the stand down.

"How'd you like your first taste of speed?" asked
Jordan, her eyes sparkling from the rush.

"It was amazing. I love it!" smiled Tara. She followed
the woman to the wall in front, and looked on in alarm as Jordan leaped over it,
landing smoothly to sit on the top, her legs hanging over the death drop.
"Jordan! What are you doing!"

"Come on! Live a little!" she replied, extending her
hand to the shocked woman. "You know you want to."

Tara looked inside herself and found that she did actually want
to, but common sense told her she would end up killing herself. What the
hell, she thought, as she took the offered hand and swung her legs over to
sit next to the dark woman. She looked down, and immediately realised her
mistake as she grabbed hold of Jordan in fright at the drop below. Her legs
turned to jelly and her grip on Jordan's waist tightened unconsciously.
Suddenly, she was aware of the taller woman chuckling silently at her, and she
looked up in annoyance. She was about to shout some obscene words at the woman,
when Jordan lifted her hand and pointed.

"Look."

Tara did, and she saw the city lights sparkling below her. She
forgot her fear as wonder and amazement took over. She looked up at the night
sky, seeing the perfect full moon making it's way across the dark. "It's
incredible," she breathed.

"I know," came the deep voice beside her. "I
always come here when I need peace and quiet. I guess it relaxes me."

"I'm not surprised. I feel like I'm flying. Or I'm a
Goddess, looking down over my people," Tara laughed gently at the thought.

"You're not so far off," Jordan commented. Tara's head
snapped round to look at the woman.

"What do you mean?"

"You are a Goddess." Jordan smiled. "Not
only because you happen to be gorgeous, but because we're all made from the same
stuff. Each of us is a small part of God, so in theory we're all Gods and
Goddesses."

Tara thought about what Jordan had said. "So there's a
brain inside that beautiful face after all, hm," she said, looking into the
blue depths.

"What did you expect?" teased Jordan. "A sheep in
wolf's clothing?"

Tara laughed. "A sense of humour as well? Tell me, what
else do you have up your sleeve?" She couldn't believe she was flirting
this much with a woman who was so obviously dangerous.

"Well, I have many skills."

Tara lost her smile, as she stared at the serious blue orbs.
"What?" The phrase had come out naturally, and Tara recognised it instantly.

Jordan was silent and she looked away to the horizon. "You
know the truth, don't you?" she said finally.

"Do I?"

Jordan snorted. "God, you haven't changed. You still answer
my questions with one of your own." Tara was quiet. "Oh, come on. I
know you recognised me when I looked at you in the pub yesterday."

"I thought maybe... I had it wrong. I wasn't sure."

"Well, you can be sure now, Tara."

Tara felt the shock in her body, as the truth made itself known.
She had half known it was her all along, but the other half had wanted solid,
concrete proof that she was right. Now she had it, and there was no question
that the woman sitting by her side was the girl she had grown up with.
"Why... why did you tell me that you name was Emily?"

Jordan sighed. "I hoped you wouldn't remember, and I tried
to throw you off. Guess it didn't work. How did you find me anyway?"

"The bartender... he told me who you were and then I asked
him where I could find you to give back your lighter."

"Oh."

"The thing that really hit me was your name. Jordan Woods.
Smart."

"Yeah, I thought so myself. I couldn't really go walking
around with my real name now, could I? So I named myself after the part of
forest that we played in. I couldn't tell you that name yesterday, because you would have
had me figured out straight away then."

"So, are you Jordan for good now? Where's Jenny gone?"

The dark woman rubbed the back of her neck. "She died with
my family. She doesn't live anymore. Jordan is who I am now."

"Okay, Jordan." There was silence for a few minutes,
as each of them dealt with their own thoughts. Tara broke it. "Will you
tell me why?"

Jordan blew a breath out of her mouth. "They were gonna put
me in a home. You know as well as I do those people don't care about the
children. It's like being in a jail, only, the bars are invisible to the outside
world."

"Surely there must have been some other way. Why didn't you
come to me? I thought we were close?"

"We were," Jordan assured, quickly. "But what
could I say? I had no choice, so I ran. I know it was the coward's way out, but
I didn't care back then."

"And what about now? Do you care now?"

"I don't know," Jordan replied, softly. "It's a
hard life. But at least I know what I am."

Tara looked into Jordan's eyes, seeing the pain there.
"What do you think you are?"

"I know I'm a monster. A thing to be feared. You should be
scared."

Tara tried to ignore the fire that started in Jordan's eyes.
"That's not true, Jordan."

The dark woman looked down at the street below. "Alright,
you wanna hear it? Here it is. I'm the leader of one of two of the most feared
street gangs in the city. I traffic drugs for overseas drug lords. We control
what the police do and see, since most of them are bent, and we own the city.
Only the Hawks can rival my gang and fights break out all the time over the city
for territory between the two gangs. Anyone trapped in the middle of the war
gets injured, or worse, killed. And there's nothing I can do about it. I myself
have killed over two hundred, some of which have been in cold blood. I've wiped
out whole gangs that have threatened us and made an example of them to any
others who want to make enemies out of the Wolves. Now tell me I'm not a
monster."

Tara was quiet for a moment, as she collected her thoughts. "Jordan, yes, what you've done is bad. But you can change
yourself, start over, make a new life. One without the hurt and suffering that
your present one brings you. I can see that you don't want to be where you are."

"No, it's not possible. I'm in too deep, and I can't get
out again. Not without dying."

Tara shook her head. "There's always a way."

"Not for us. Not for me," Jordan replied,
looking away.

"Only because you don't want to see it."

"Well, maybe I don't. Maybe I deserve this life."
Jordan stared moodily at the horizon. "And the hell that comes with
it," she added.

"Jordan, you have to forgive yourself eventually. Why not
start now?"

"What would it accomplish? I have no life other than this
one. What would you have me do? Get a steady job? Turn myself into the police?"

Tara sighed loudly. "No, that's not what I want."

"Well then. I'm kinda stuck," Jordan finished.
"Anyway, enough about me. What have you been doing in the... what is it...
five years since I saw you last?"

"Obviously, nothing as interesting as what you've been
doing," Tara smiled. "You know, the usual."

"Oh yeah," said Tara quietly. "Well, I got my
GCSE results back. I was surprised that I got seven As and four Bs, with all the
trouble that happened that year and all. I did Psychology, Sociology, Philosophy
and English for my A-Levels. I got good results in them, enough to get into Uni
and do Psychology anyway." Tara didn't mention the fact that she very
nearly failed because she had gone into depression, thinking about where Jordan
had gone, or whether she was even alive. "Right now, I'm majoring in
Psychology and I took Sociology as my minor class. I'm in my final year, got a
few exams coming up, then I'm free to do whatever I like," smiled Tara.
Jordan smiled back. She had only been half-listening to the woman's words,
instead getting lost in the soft, gentle voice. Tara saw the glaze in Jordan's
eyes and mistook it as boredom. "I'll shut up now. You're probably bored
stiff, listening to me rattle on. Everyone always says I talk to much. I seem to
remember you said that once when we were kids. See, I'm doing it again."

Jordan laughed genuinely, almost toppling over the wall in her
mirth. She managed to regain her composure, only to collapse into a fit of
laughter when she looked at Tara. "I'm sorry. I'm not actually laughing at
you in a mean way. Just you were so cute." Jordan almost clapped her hand
over her mouth at the words that came tumbling out of her mouth, but instead she
just fell silent, trying to prevent the blush creeping up her neck.

Not for the first time, Tara wondered if there was more to their
relationship than before. Could there be something between them? Something more
than friendship? Tara intended to find out, but without upsetting their newly
rediscovered friendship. It was going to be a challenge, but she hoped for her
sake that it could be deeper than a plutonic relationship.

"Yeah, but I didn't bring it with me tonight. Damn thing
ran out of battery and I didn't have time to charge it," she looked at
Jordan sheepishly.

"No problem. You can use mine if you want." Jordan dug
deep in her pocket and pulled out a flash phone.

"Man, where did you get this!"

Jordan just shrugged. "One of the perks of my job,"
she joked.

Tara shook her head as she punched in the number of Kerri's
room. There was no answer, so she tried Kyle's. "What?" came a sleepy
voice.

"Oh, Kyle, I'm sorry. Did I wake you? It's Tara. I was just
ringing to tell you I'm alright and I'm coming back now."

"Shit, Tara. Why didn't you phone earlier! Do you know what
time it is? It's one thirty, and you're out with a total stranger. We actually
rang the police to see if you were there, but thankfully you
weren't!"

Tara heard the phone being taken out of Kyle's hands, and she
knew she was going to get it again from Kerri. "Bloody hell, Tara! We were
worried sick! Do you know how many times we've listened to the radio news,
terrified of hearing that one of our best friends had just been killed!"

Tara waited until the lecture had died down. "I know Kerri,
and I'm sorry. I guess I just got carried away and didn't notice the time."

There was a silence on the phone, before Kerri spoke again.
"So you had a good time then?"

Tara knew that her friend wasn't angry any more, but again
fishing for gossip. She laughed. "Yes, I did. I'll explain everything when
I get back okay."

Tara heard a shout coming from the room, then the door opening
and she heard Jake shouting. "I hope you're happy with yourself! See if we
care that you've been raped or something!" came the sarcastic yell.

"Chill out Jake, she's fine. Apparently, she had a good
time," reassured Kerri, implying all sorts with her tone of voice.

"Kerri," warned Tara. "Anyway, I'll be back soon
okay."

"Uh huh. You better make sure you tell us everything
that happened alright. And by the way, how are you getting back? The trains have
stopped running now."

"Oh, Jordan's taking me back."

There was silence again. "Jordan?"

"Yeah, she's got a motorbike. Look, I really have to go
okay, I'm using up her credit. See ya soon! Bye!" Tara hung up before Kerri
could say anything further.

"You have some interesting friends," commented Jordan.
She had heard almost every word, since they had been shouting so loud.

Tara raised both eyebrows at her. "You can talk!"

"Hey, at least my friends leave my private life
alone," Jordan retorted, swinging around and hopping off the ledge.

Tara scowled at her friend's back, as she copied her. Unfortunately,
Tara misjudged, and overbalanced the wrong way, falling backwards. She screamed,
and flailed her arms around, trying to regain her balance, but she was too far
gone, and she felt herself plummeting.

"JORDAN!" she shouted, as she shut her eyes, feeling
her life flashing before her.

Suddenly, a warm hand wrapped around her leg and she jolted to a
stop in mid air. She gasped for air, as she looked down, seeing the flashing
lights below her legs. She looked up, and saw half of Jordan's body hanging over
the ledge, straining to prevent herself from going over the edge too. With a
tremendous amount of effort, she hauled Tara up slowly, until she was pulled to
safety. Tara sat shaking on the ledge, as Jordan stood breathing heavily in
between her dangling legs. Tara reached out and gripped Jordan in a tight hug,
pulling her head to her chest in comfort. Tara didn't know who was doing the
comforting, but she didn't care. Their breathing steadied, but they still held
one another, unwilling to release each other.

"Thank you," whispered Tara in Jordan's ear. "You
saved my life."

Jordan looked up into Tara's flushed face. "No, I put your
life in danger. I'm sorry. I will do, every time I'm around you. Maybe... "

Tara cupped Jordan's face in her hands and leaned down to kiss
her on the cheek. "Whatever. Thank you," she finished. They stared
into each other's eyes for a moment longer before Jordan lifted Tara easily off
the ledge by her hips. Her hands lingered on her waist for a second longer than
needed, then they made their way towards the cycle. Mixed thoughts and feelings
were running through the blonde woman's head. She had had a perfect chance to
claim the dark woman's mouth, but she had held back. You were chicken, her
mind taunted her as she got on the bike behind Jordan.

The ride to her halls of residence was quiet, the streets
totally deserted. They each had their own thoughts to deal with, and only as
Jordan pulled up at the entrance of her halls, did Tara realise that Jordan had
known where her place was. She owns the city remember. She probably knows
each street like the back of her hand, she thought. Jordan didn't stop the
engine, as Tara hopped off the back.

"Are you gonna be alright?" Jordan asked as Tara took off
the helmet and gave it to her.

"Yeah. I put my mobile number in your phonebook in your
phone, okay."

"Oh, cool. Is that a hint that I should call you?"
Jordan joked.

"If you feel like it," teased Tara.

Jordan chuckled. "It was good to see you again, Tara. I
never thought I would after..."

"I know. I'm glad we met up too. It's a load off my mind
now to know that you're not..."

The leather-clad woman smiled. "Yeah. Good night, Tara."

"Or Good Morning," replied the blonde, returning the
smile.

Jordan cocked her head and winked before turning her bike into
the road and speeding off. Tara walked into the building and into the lift,
pressing the button for the sixth floor. Tara smiled as she thought of how much
Jordan had changed physically since she saw her. Jordan, then Jenny, had been a
skinny, lanky twelve year old, almost looking like her bones were too big for
her body. Her hair had been cut short, and she could have been mistaken for a
boy at a distance. Her eyes hadn't change though; they were still as icy as she
could remember. Now, she had grown into a strong, well able female, sensually
appealing in every way. At eighteen, she was in the prime of her life, and
probably had many lovers in her young life. There was definitely something about
the woman that was alluring and magnetic. Maybe it was the aura of danger that
she carried with her. Whatever it was, Tara knew she couldn't resist it for much
longer.

The doors pinged and Tara stepped out into the long corridor.
She went to the first door and used her card on the swipe key and pushed the
solid wood door open. She edged in cautiously, as the automatic overhead lights
turned on. She waited. Suddenly, the door to her left opened and Kerri, followed
by Kyle came running out with pillows in their hands. Oh God, she thought
as she covered her head as they began whacking her with the soft weapons. Then
the room to her right opened and Jake came out to join in with two pillows in
his hands.

"You bloody clown!" yelled Kerri, trying to keep a
straight face. Jake screamed behind her, and she dodged to the side as Jake came
diving towards her, only to crash into Kyle and taking them both to the floor,
where they started to wrestle. The two guys rolled into Kerri's legs, causing
her to topple over and onto them. Tara laughed and quickly darted into her room
and locked her door, before any one could follow her. They got up and started
pounding on the door, as Tara heard several other doors opening in the hallway,
and other students coming to see what the fuss was about. Tara heard another
pillow fight begin with the newcomers, and she chuckled quietly to herself.

She changed into her PJs, and logged onto the net, checking her
mail while the fight outside died down. As she finished replying to her mails,
there was a loud knock at the door.

"Hey! Open up. We're unarmed, we promise."

Tara smiled at Kerri's plea. She didn't doubt that Kerri was
holding a pillow in her hands right now, ready to hit her in the face when she
went to unlock the door. Still, she couldn't really blame her friends for caring
about her. She got up to open the door for them and got her reward; a pillow
flung at her from outside. Once she got that out of her view, she saw Jake
charging towards her and she was helpless to do anything. He crashed into her
and they both landed on her bed, as Jake began to tickle her. Kerri and Kyle
walked in hand in hand, smiling at the antics of their friend.

When they were all finally settled on the bed, the questions
started. "Hey, we saw you guys pull up outside. Nice ride, huh. So who is
she?" asked Kerri.

Tara sighed. It's gonna be a long night, she thought to
herself as she began explaining.